Chapter 18 #3
At his mention, my gaze lifted. I’d been so concentrated on not pulling an Anne Shirley and taking a tumble from the ridgepole, I hadn’t looked around.
Ben took a step closer to me, stabilizing me by the elbow as I scanned the view.
The white steepled church was on our left and the river just past it.
And there was Carver Maple Farm. The apple orchard.
Main Street. Dust & Timber and the workshop behind it.
And the hills that hid the high school from view.
Then there were trees as far as the eye could see.
So many shades and colors of leaves. Peak leaf season in Vermont was no joke. “It’s incredible,” I whispered.
Ben’s focus stayed on me. We didn’t need two of us unstable by looking around simultaneously. “I thought you might like it.”
I met his gaze. “Thanks for making me climb up here.”
Ben smiled.
“Can I go down now?” I was only partially kidding. It was higher than it even looked from the ground, and being on a slanted surface made the whole thing feel even more precarious.
Ben chuckled. “I’m not sure what I’ll do without those sharp eyes of yours, but if you really want to, I can take you back down.”
I stole another glimpse at the view. “I’ll stay.
But I’m sitting.” It would be easier to justify counting the time I’d been at the barn raising toward Judge Rost’s seventy-two-hour provision—now down to sixty-three hours—if I actually spent time with him and not just watching him. “And you can do the hammering.”
He pulled a box of nails from his tool belt, and the two of us made our way across the roof, me handing Ben nails that he hammered in place, then scooting along the plywood to my next spot.
Two guys looked over from the other side of the roof. I recognized Archer but not his friend. “Hey, Bennett,” Archer called out before dipping his chin in my direction. “Maven.”
Archer’s friend did likewise, and suddenly I had the strange feeling I knew him.
I lifted a hand. “Hey.”
“We’re finished with the sheathing,” Archer said to Ben. “Anything else we can do up here?”
“Maven and I are finding edges that need to be secured and nailing them down to make sure it’s ready to go when the roofers come Monday.
If you two want to do the same on that side, that’d be awesome.
” Ben’s gaze slid to his right. “Maybe grab Dean and Wade too. The four of you could make quick work of it. I’ll have Carson, Dom, and Jaxon join us once they’re done.
After that, we can head down and help with the siding. ”
“Sounds good, boss.”
When they disappeared out of sight again, my gaze returned to Ben, and that same swelling of pride felt like it might suffocate me with how quickly it was expanding, right alongside a very problematic sense of attraction.
I was having a difficult time wrapping my mind around this new side of Ben.
He was the same, but he was also so different.
“What is it?” Ben asked, catching me staring.
I scrambled for something to say. “Who was that with Archer?”
Ben sent me a disapproving look. “Already moved on from the cowboy?”
“He looked familiar,” I said, ignoring Ben’s comment.
“It’s James.”
My eyes widened and I dropped my voice. “That was James Carver?”
Ben nodded.
Years of not seeing someone could really transform a person.
He was so broad and broody looking. Though now that I knew who he was, I realized that his eyes were the same and he had the same dark hair.
I’m sure if I had seen him smile, I would have recognized him.
He’d always had such a warm, contagious smile. “I didn’t realize he was back.”
Ben hammered in the nail I’d handed him. “From what I’ve heard, May’s struggling to keep up with the farm.”
I frowned. May had had a rough go, what with her husband dying and James leaving the next year. The poor woman didn’t deserve it. She’d always been so kind. “Well, I hope he’s able to help get it back on track. Autumn Ridge wouldn’t be the same without Carver Maple Farm.”
Ben nodded.
“It seems like a lot of people are back in town—James, Carson, Juliet, Liv, Tate.” I ticked up a finger for each of them.
“Reese Berkeley,” Ben added, “Ari Langford, and Dean Alden.”
“Wow.” I passed Ben another nail. “It’s like the great migration home.”
Ben pounded the nail into the edge of the plywood in three swift hits. “I wonder what the appeal is.” He slid his hat backward in one smooth motion before standing and offering me his hand. “Ready to move down a row?”
I paused, forcing myself to swallow despite how dry my mouth suddenly felt.
Ben in a backward hat was even better than the image my mind had conjured of Ben in a cowboy hat, and the smile he sent me made it clear he was well aware of my preference.
Especially now, with the way his dark brown hair was just long enough to curve upwards at the sides.
Add in his two-day stubble and how his flannel shirt fit with his broad shoulders.
And the tool belt. And… just him. I didn’t know about the others, but I could definitely see the appeal of Autumn Ridge.
Well, two could play at that game—as dangerous a game as it currently was—and I had the perfect dress to wear to the barn dance tonight. Ben was not going to know what to do with himself.
I took his hand. “Let’s do it.”